What are some good exercises for a client of mine who is getting back from a broken tailbone

Answers

Your first course of action is to consult with the client’s physician and/or review the physician’s guidelines and limitations for exercise for the client. Low-impact activities, such as walking and swimming, may be good options because they are relatively less jarring than other types of exercise, such as aerobics, dancing, or running, which may put more stress on the joints and can be uncomfortable.

Activities that place pressure directly on the tailbone by sitting on a seat, such as biking; or hazardous sports, such as skating or skiing that pose an increased falling risk, should be avoided.

Exercises that support the newly healed area without placing excess stress on the site of pain should be considered as the client is getting back into a regular exercise program. These include pelvic floor exercises (i.e., Kegels), abdominal exercises (e.g., crunches on a large stability ball that is placed on a holder to prevent risk the of falling off during exercise), and glute exercises (e.g., glute bridge). Furthermore, exercises that work the upper extremity while in a non-painful standing or seated position can be incorporated. Seated positions can be made more comfortable by having the client sit on a pillow or an Airex pad to take the pressure off of the tailbone area. After the client has regained strength in those movements and is ready for more of a challenge, slowly introduce more functional exercises, such as bodyweight squats and lunges. Always use pain as an indicator to back off of an exercise and modify or eliminate it until a later time when the client can tolerate the new movement.